Everyone has gone through some type of hardship in their life which has shaped them they way they are today. I also had to overcome certain challenges and obstacles in my life to be the way I am today, but the challenge in front of me was not do something but to let go off a few things. I have been a football fanatic since I was 10 years old, loved to play the game whatever the surface and weather condition might be, never counted the number of times I fell or the scars I got as the love for the game masked it all. I broke my legs, tore ligaments and shattered muscles and then spent the days for recovery on a bed anxiously waiting for the day when I would get to play again and proudly wear that school or college’s No.8 shirt again.
Then I chose to join a course called Chartered Accountancy for which commitment was the key which meant football had to take a back seat. I gave into it as that seemed necessary, but I would still play occasionally whenever I get the time, in park or parking lot wherever it might be. I cleared Group -I of IPCC in first attempt but then the accident happened, another football injury which tore my ACL and shattered the meniscus, the latter of which was discovered on the operating table, few post-operation complications and the discovery of more injuries on the table significantly extended the required recovery period, delaying my career by at least a year. As time went by and a couple failed attempts at the other group followed, my career got delayed even more resulting stress and confusion all the while I was not medically allowed to do the one thing that could give me some calm.
It came to a point where I had to change, to switch or risk being stuck where I was. I decided to switch, to try something else and leave what I was doing behind. It wasn’t easy as it came with a lot of stigma, uncertainty and confusion and also fear as I was switching from a course where the probability of success was very low to something equally competitive, but it was necessary to be where I am today, to get a new opportunity and start again, also to stop playing football to avoid any further injuries which could jeopardize my present and hamper my future. I never paid heed to any of the concerns my record of constant injuries posed but it was time to hang up the boots. Even after undergoing 3 major surgeries of the same leg, that pain still isn’t close enough to the pain I felt when I took the decision of leaving.
It may not seem much to most of the people but leaving what you love for the better good while dealing with a career derailment is difficult thing to handle. It takes a lot to take everything on the chin and keep moving forward. It’s a challenge which I faced head on.
T A Pai Management Institute